The Israeli military initiated one of its most severe air campaigns in a year against Lebanon this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hundreds of sites deep within the country.
Concurrently, Hezbollah responded with a barrage of rockets towards Israel, leading to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians fleeing their homes.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported that their fighter jets targeted southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley on Wednesday.
In anticipation of further operations, Israel has also called up two reserve brigades for active duties on the northern front.
As the conflict intensifies, Lebanese hospitals are now overwhelmed, with over 550 confirmed fatalities and thousands injured.
Amid these volatile conditions and fears of an expanded conflict, several countries have suspended their flights to and from Lebanon and Tel Aviv.
Notable flight suspensions include Lufthansa halting flights to Tel Aviv until October 14, while flights to Beirut remain suspended until October 26.
Similarly, Jordanian Airlines has stopped flights to Beirut indefinitely.
Other airlines like Swiss Air Lines and Qatar Airways have also continued their suspension of flights. Egypt Air has cancelled flights from Cairo to Beirut until further notice.
U.S.-based airlines, including American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have announced a stop to their flights to Israel, with Delta extending cancellations from New York to Tel Aviv until the end of December.
Wizz Air, a low-cost Hungarian carrier, and ITA Airways from Italy have also suspended flights to Israel.
EasyJet confirmed it would not resume its flights to and from Tel Aviv until April 2025.
The international community watches closely as the situation unfolds, with air travel disruptions indicating the severity of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Videos circulating on social media on Wednesday captured the moment Israeli air defense systems intercepted a Hezbollah-launched surface-to-surface missile aimed at Tel Aviv.
